Varaha Purana Ancient Indian Mythology Yoga India Hindu

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THE VARAHA PURANA: 2 Volumes
Shastri J.L. A Board of Scholars Tagare G.V.

SE ACEPTAN DEPOSITOS /TRANSFERENCIAS O S EN EFECTIVO

Cover: Hardcover
Publisher:Motilal Banarsidass Publishers Pvt. Ltd.
ISBN:9788120803619; 9788120803626
Language:English Translation
Size:8.75" X 5.8"
Pages:776
Other Details:1.155 kg


Introduction

The Varahapurana is an old Purana considered as a major Purana (Mahapurana) in the accounts given in the Puranas them-selves. But although it states in an early chapter the five general characteristics of a Purana (pancalaksana), it itself does not contain all these, a feature which it shares with several other Puranas. It, of course, contains an account of the first two, namely primary creation and secondary creation (sarga and Pratisarga), but contains very little of the others. It is full of religious and theological matters and glorification of the gods, mainly Visnu, and of the holy tirth as and rules for the observance of various vows. Nevertheless, it is an old Purana in its essential parts, though, as in most other works of a like nature, there are many portions added to it from time to time as is evident from the repetitions, inconsistencies and what would normally appear to be irrelevant matter in some contexts. Its date must be early and Wilson’s assigning it to the 12th century A.D., is arbitrary and unjustified, the earlier parts may not be later than both century as pointed out by P. V. Kane and accepted by scholars like R. C. Hazra, who, however, considers some interpolations to be possibly as late as the l5th century. The work is presented here in an English translation, which is neither too literal nor too free, of the text published by the Venkateswar Press, Bombay, with the most essential corrections. It may be noted that although the work is traditionally believed to contain 24,000 slokas, the text available now contains only a little over 10,000 slokas.

The Purana is in the form of a conversation between Varaha, the Boar-incarnation of Lord Visnu, and Dharani, the Earth held up by him in his tusk, as given by Suta, the mythological narrator. The whole discourse is in reply to Earth’s questions to the Lord seeking enlightenment as to the creation, sustenance and destruction of the world and what would constitute righteous conduct and virtuous actions for happiness in life and ultimate liberation from worldly existence.

We may make a rapid survey of the Purana dividing it into convenient sections and noting the most essential things in each.

l. Chs. l-8. This is of a preliminary nature. Earth puts her questions to the Lord who reveals to her his universal form. We find the account of primary creation from Vyoma through the Pradhana and the three gunas, Sattva, Rajas and Tamas, to Brahma, the origin of Rudra, Prajapati and Svayambhuvamanu, Rudra’s form constituted of man in one half and woman in the other, the division of the male part into eleven and further development of creation from Svayambhuvamanu. Narada’s narration to Priyavrata, son of Svayambhuvamanu, of his previous life and his meeting goddess Savitri is interposed. The story of king Asvasiras whom the sages Kapila and jaigisavya convince of the omniscience and omnipresence of Visnu and the need to do one’s duty for spiritual knowledge and liberation and the king finally getting dissolved in the Lord, follows. We may note that although the chief emphasis of this Purana is on devotion, here we find the stress on jnana as the ultimate means for mukti.

King Vasu practicing penance and obtaining liberation by reciting the Pundarikaksapéra hymn, sage Raibhya performing penance at Gaya and getting liberation by uttering the Gadadhara stotra, the ghost of a Brahmin unwittingly killed by king Vasu becoming a hunter by name Dharmavyadha merging in the lord by his praise of him, are narrated to illustrate the eflicacy of penance and prayer. The Dharmavyadha, it is stated begot daughter and gave her in marriage to the son of the Brahmin, sage Matanga, but afterwards she was ill-treated by her mother-in-law particularly referring to her father being a meat-eating hunter, and, indignant at this, the Vyadha made Matangaadmit that while he, as a hunter, was killing only one animal aday for food, the sage who prides at his being a vegetarian, isactually destroying numerous potential forms of life contained in the grains he cooks and eats. We may note two things in -this story, one, the free and formal intermarriage between a Brahmin and a lower caste and the other a defense of non-vegetarianism.


CONTENTS


Preface vii
Abbreviations xiii
Introduction xv

PART I

Chapters
1. Earth's Enquiry about Creation, Benedictory Prayer 1
2. Primary Creation 3
3. Birth of Narada 10
4. Greatness of Narayana 12
5. Attainment of Liberation through Duty 16
6. Attainment of liberation uttering the Pundarikasapara hymn 20
7. Attainment of liberation uttering Gadadhara Hymn 23
8. The Life of Dharmavyadha 27
9. Description of Fish-Incarnation 32
10. The Creation and the Life of Durjaya 35
11. Fight between Durjaya and the Gauramukha 40
12. Narayana offers a boon to Supratika 47
13. Rules for Sraddha 49
14. Rules for Sraddha 54
15. Sage Gauramukha's liberation after uttering the hymn of Ten Incarnations of Visnu 58
16. The Story of Sarama 60
17. The Story of Mahatapas 62
18. Origin of Fire 68
19. Greatness of Fire 69
20. Origin of Asvins 70
21. Origin of Gauri 74
22. Marriage of Gauri 80
23. Origin of Vinayaka 83
24. Origin of Serpents 86
25. Origin of Skanda 88
26. Origin of Sun 92
27. Origin of Matrgana 94
28. Origin of Goddess Durga 96
29. Origin of Diks 100
30. Origin of Kubera 101
31. Origin of Visnu 101
32. Origin of Dharma 103
33. Origin of Rudra 105
34. Origin of Pitrs 108
35. Origin of Soma 109
36. Former story 110
37. Story of Dirghabahu 112
38. Story of Satyatapas 116
39. Matsyadvadasi Vrata 118
40. Kurmadvadasi Vrata 123
41. Varahadvadasi Vrata 124
42. Narasimhadvadasi Vrata 127
43. Vamanadvadasi Vrata 128
44. Jamadagnyadvadasi Vrata 130
45. Ramadvadasi Vrata 131
46. Krsnadvadasi Vrata 132
47. Buddhadvadasi Vrata 133
48. Kalkidvadasi Vrata 135
49. Padmanabhadvadasi Vrata 137
50. Dharani Vrata 140
51. Agastyagita I 142
52. Agastyagita II 144
53. Story of Pasupala 145
54. Vrata for attaining the best husband 147
55. Subha Vrata 148
56. Dhanya Vrata 152
57. Kanti Vrata 153
58. Saubhaghya Vrata 155
59. Avighna Vrata 156
60. Santi Vrata 157
61. Kama Vrata 158
62. Arogya Vrata 159
63. Putraprapti Vrata 161
64. Saurya Vrata 162
65. Sarvhabhauma Vrata 163
66. Naradiya Pancaratra 164
67. Wonder of Visnu 165
68. Yugadharma 166
69. Wonder of Narayana 168
70. Rudragita I 169
71. Rudragita II 172
72. Determination of Prakrti and Purusa 176
73. Vairajavratta 178
74. Cosmology 181
75. Jambudvipa and Meru 183
76. Cities of Eight Dikpalas 188
77. The Meru Mountain 189
78. Mandara and other mountains 191
79. Valleys of Meru I 192
80. Valleys of Meru II 194
81. Domains of Devas in the Mountains 196
82. Decent of the rivers 197
83. Regions and rivers in the mountain Naisadha 198
84. Regions on the South and North of Meru 199
85. The nine divisions of Bharata 201
86. Sakadvipa 202
87. Kusadvipa 202
88. Krauncadvipa 203
89. Salmalidvipa and others 204
90. Goddess of Creation 205
91. Sarasvati and others 208
92. Greatness of Vaisnavi 209
93. Discussion of Mahisasura with his ministers 211
94. Fight between gods and demons 213
95. Death of mahisasura 214
96. Exploits of Raudri 219
97. Greatness of Rudra 223
98. Moksa of Satyatapas 226
99. Greatness of Tiladhenu 229
100. Greatness of Jaladhenu 236
101. Greatness of Rasadhenu 237
102. Greatness of Gudadhenu 238
103. Greatness of Sarkaradhenu 240
104. Greatness of Madhudhenu 241
105. Greatness of Ksiradhenu 242
106. Greatness of Dadhidhenu 244
107. Greatness of Navanitadhenu 244
108. Greatness of lavanadhenu 245
109. Greatness of Karpasadhenu 247
110. Greatness of Dhanyadhenu 248
111. Greatness of Kapiladhenu 249
112. Greatness of Cow at Childbirth, list of Puranas 250
113. Hymn on the Lord 255
114. Varaha incarnation - Questions of Earth 260
115. Origin of different dharmas (Karmas of different castes) 264
116. Happiness and Unhappiness 267
117. Thirtytwo offences 270
118. Rituals in idol worship 273
119. Food forbidden in worship 276
120. Worship of Sandhya 278
121. Absence of birth 279
122. Greatness of Kokamukha - story of the Fish and Cricket 281
123. Greatness of flowers, sandalpaste etc. 288
124. Worship in the Seasons 291
125. Mayacakra 295
126. Greatness of Kubjamraka - story of the Serpent and Ichneumon 306
127. Initiation of the Brahmin 319
128. Initiation of other Castes - Ganantika, Comb, Collyrium and Mirron 323
129. Further Rituals in worship 329
130. Expiation for eating the king's food 333
131. Expiation for not cleaning the teeth 335
132. Expiation for touching Dead body 336
133. Expiation for passing flatus and answering calls of Nature in the midst of worship 339
134. Other offences during worship 340
135. Expiation for eating goose etc. 344
136. Rules of expiation 347
PART II
Preface vii
Abbreviations xiii
Chapters
137. The Vulture and the Jackal 355
138. The Story of the Wag-tail 369
139. Greatness of Saukara 375
140. Greatness of holy spots in Kokamukha 382
141. Greatness of Badarikasrama 387
142. Action in Privacy 391
143. Greatness of Mandara 395
144. Greatness of somesvara, Muktiksetra, Trivnei and others 398
145. Greatness of Salagramaksetra 409
146. Greatness of Ruruksetra and Hrsikesa 416
147. Greatness of Goniskramana 421
148. Greatness of Stutasvami 425
149. Greatness of Dvaraka 430
150. Greatness of Sanandura 435
151. Greatness of Lohargala 439
152. Glory of Mathura Tirtha 444
153. Greatness of Mathura Tirtha 448
154. Power of the Tirthas in Yamuna 451
155. Power of Akruratirtha 453
156. The Appearance of Mathura 458
157. Malayarjuna and other Tirthas 459
158. The Power of Mathura-Tirtha 462
159. Circumambulation in Mathura 465
160. The Order of Visits in the Tirthas of Mathura 466
161. The greatness of Devavana 472
162. The greatness of Cakratirtha 473
163. The Greatness of Kapilavaraha 477
164. The Greatness of Annakuta 481
165. The Power of Catuhsamudrika well 484
166. The power of Asikunda 488
167. The Power of Visranti tirtha 490
168. The Tirthas in Mathura 492
169. The Semicircular spot in Mathura 494
170. The story of Gokarna 496
171. The story of Gokarna (continued) 502
172. The story of Gokarna (continued) 506
173. The story of Gokarna (continued) 510
174. The greatness of confluence of Yamuna 511
175. The prowess of Krsnaganga and Kalinjara 518
176. The prowess of Krsnaganga and Kalinjara 520
177. Consecration of Surya by Samba 526
178. Satrughna-Lavana 530
179. Expiations for Offences 531
180. Greatness of Dhruva tirtha in Mathura 533
181. Consecration of wooden Images 542
182. Consecration of stone Images 544
183. Consecration of clay images 547
184. Consecration of copper Images 549
185. Consecration of bronze Images 551
186. Consecration of silver and golden Images 553
187. The Origin of Sraddha 557
188. Rituals of Sraddha 565
189. Qualities of the Brahmin to be fed in Sraddha 572
190. Other details about Sraddha 577
191. Madhuparka 586
192. Peace for all 587
193. Departure of Naciketas 590
194. Return of Naciketas 593
195. Sinners in Yamaloka 595
196. City of Yama 598
197. Yama and his associates 600
198. Torments in Hell 603
199. Torments in Hell (Contd) 608
200. Torments in Hell (Contd) 610
201. Fight between Raksasas and Yama's men 615
202. Punishment according to deeds 618
203. Sins and Punishment 623
204. Instructions to Messengers 627
205. Good and bad results 628
206. Results of good actions 630
207. Good results 633
208. Story of the chaste women 637
209. Greatness of the chaste women 642
210. Means to destroy sin 644
211. Means to destroy sin (contd.) 648
212. The Awakening 654
213. Greatness of Gokarnesvara 656
214. Boons to Nandikesvara 661
215. Greatness of Sailesvara 666
216. Greatness of Srngesvara 672
217. Benefits of Recitation 675
218. Contents of the Purana 676
Glossary 680
Index